Button-sewing attachment for sewing-machines



3Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

-P. SOHOEN. BUTTON SEWING ATTAGHM'ENTFOR SEWING MACHINES.

' Patented Dec. 1,1891.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

P; 'SGHOEN BUTTON SEWING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

Patented Dec. 1, 1891.

H [MI ii i Mi 1- HILE:

=1 n EETH.

WITNESSES.-

(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 3.

BUTTON SEWING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES; No. 464,042. A v PatentedDec. 1, 1891.

Wu H 1 4 N1". aw HH- 4' 71'. n" IUQ .y; 4'

I a 44 I X In I! W J W W"- M 1'4 Jig HUI '1 "In w "'14 l 1 WITNESSES.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL SOHOEN, OF I-IOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

BUTTON-SEWING ATTACHMENT FQR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 464,042, dated December1, 1891.

Application filed August 5,1890- Serial No. 361,077. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'known that I, PAUL SCHOEN, of Hoboken, in the county of Hudson andState of New Jersey, a citizen of the United States, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Button-Sewing Attachments toSewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved attachment to sewing-machines ofthat class by which buttons may be sewed on directly to garments, theimprovements being mainly designed with a view to adapt the attachmentto sew buttons of any size by means of a sim ple adjustment of thebutton-holding parts.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of asewing-machine with my improved button-sewing attachment, the latterbeing shown in vertical longitudinal section. tion of a sewing-machinewith my improved button-sewing attachment. Figs. 3 and 4 are top viewsof the button-holding device, showing the same with two different sizesof buttons. Figs. 4, 4 and 4aretop views of buttons, showing thedifferent-stitches by which they are attached to a garment. Fig. 5 is atop view of the button-sewing attachment; and Fig. 6 is a top view ofthe oscillating bottom plate, a part of the same being broken off toshow the gearing by which the oscillat ing motion is imparted to thesame.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre-' sponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the presser-bar, and B theneedle-bar, of a sewing-machine of any approved construction.

0 is my improved button-sewing attachment, which is operated by atransmitting-lever mechanism D, the main part of which is fulcrumed to acollar 0. of the presser-bar and actuated by the needle-bar B, whichengages by a pin 1) a slotted angular arm cl of the actuating-levermechanism.

WVhen my improved button-sewing attachment is 'to be used, thepressenfoot is removed and the collar a clamped to the presser-bar,while theactuating-pin b on the needle-bar is inserted into the slot ofthe angular armd.

The button-sewing attachment is applied toa main plate G, which isinserted into ways of a corresponding recess in the table Fig. 2 is anend elevaof the sewing-machine, said plate being-located below andparallel to the main arm of the sewing-machine.

The button-sewing attachment is composed, mainly, of a button-holder E,which is formed of two button-holding jaws e e and of' an oscillatingbottom plate E, which is fulcrumed to the plate 0 and provided below thejaws e c with a circular opening 6', within which is located the throatt for the passage of the needle of the needle-bar. The opposite end ofthe bottom plate E is connected by a clamping-jaw e to a dovetailedpiece 6 that is attached to the top part of a pinion 6 the shaft ofwhich turns in bearings of the main ciprocated on the guide-piece f. Theclampingj aw or piece e is attached to the dovetailed piece 6 by meansof a set-screw 6*, which passes through the rearendof the'oscillatingbottom plate E and produces the reliable eccentric connection with theintermittentlyrotating pinion e The pinion thus serves the purpose of acrank-wheel, and the setscrew constitutes an adjustable wrist pintherefor. By means of the set-screw e and clamping-piece e the rear endof the bottom plate E can be adjusted nearer to or'farther away from thecenter of the pinion 6 so that thereby the extent of oscillatingmotionof the button-holder may be readily adjusted to the I distancebetween the holes of the button and to the size of the stitches by whichthe button is attached to the garment. The oscillating and reciprocatingmotion of the bottom plate E is produced by the reciprocating action ofthe needle-bar B and the intermediate lever mechanism D, which latter iscomposed of the slotted angular arm (1, that is fulcrumed to the collaraof the presser-bar andengagedby the pin b of the needle-bar, of an arm61', that is firmly keyed to the fulcrum d of the angular arm d, and ofa connecting-rod d between the arm d and an oscillating lever (1 that isloosely applied to the fixed pivot e of the gearwheel 6 and retained onthe same by a suitable washer and screw-nut d", which latter is appliedto the upper threaded end of the pivot e, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6. Thelever d is oscillated by the action of the needle-bar and theintermediate con n ectin g-lever mechanism (1 d d and serves to impartintermittent rotary motion to the gear-wheel c by means of aspring-actuated pawl (Z that is pivoted to the under side of the lever01 so as to engage with a number of studs (1 preferably nine, that aresecured to the gear-wheel 2 The studs (Z' are arranged equidistantlyaround a a raised circular center portion 8 of the gearwheel 6 and areengaged by the pawl d of the lever (1 so as to produce thereby theturning of the gear-wheel e and pinion e on their pivots. The arm (1 hasan intermediate hole IV, to which the connectingrod (Z r can beattached, so that thereby the oscilla- I tions of the lever (Z may bemade smaller or larger, as required by the stitches by which 1 thebutton is to be fastened. \Vhen a larger stroke is to be imparted to thelever (1 the connecting-rod (Z is pivoted to the outer end of the arm(1', so that the spring-pawl d of the lever d engages every second studd and produces thereby a greater oscillation of the button-holder, whilewhen a small stroke is imparted to the lever d the connecting-rod d ispivoted to the hole cl so that the springpawl 61 engages every stud dand imparts thereby a smaller oscillation to the buttonholder. Theintermittent rotary motion imparted to the gear-wheel e imparts anintermittent rotary motion to the pinion e and produces, by the crankconnection with the bottom plate E, a sliding and oscillating motion tothe'bntton-holder on its guide-piece f and pivotf In place of one of thestuds 1 011 the gear-wheel e is used a screw-stud (1 which can beremoved and replaced at will. The

screw-pin d remains in position when buttons with two or four holes areto be sewed on by means of direct stitches from one hole to the other,as shown in Figs. 4: and l while the screw-pin (Z is removed when abutton is to be attached by diagonal stitches, as shown in Fig. 4. 4,the lever 01* has made a large stroke by applying the connecting-rod (Zto the outer end of the arm (1', so that the pawl d skips thereby everysecond stud (Z and imparts by the proportion between the teeth of thegearwheel c -and pinion 6 (four to one) half aturn to the latter,whereby the button-holder presents one hole of the button after theother to the needle and forms thereby the stitches between thebutton-holes.

\Vhen buttons with four holes are to be attached, the connecting-rod (l-is so adjusted as to imparta small stroke to the lever (1, whereby thepawl d engages every stud (Z and imparts by the gear-wheel e at eachstroke a quarter-turn to the pinion 6 so that one hole of the buttonafter the other is pre In buttons with two holes, as in Fig' -the bottomplate E.

sented to the needle and regular stitches between the button-holesproduced, as shown in Fig. t. hen, however, the buttons are to beattached by diagonal stitches, as shown in Fig. l, the screw-pin d isremoved and the connecting-rod (Z set for alarge stroke of the lever d.This produces the skipping of every other pin by the pawl d", so as toimpart a half-turn to the pinion e atevery stroke'of the lever d andform diagonal stitches between two of the button-holes. When the pawl (Zarrives at the point where the screwpin is removed, it cannot engage thesame, but engages the next adjacent stud (Z so that the lever 61 makesonly a small stroke and imparts thereby only a quarter-turn to thepinion e, so that a stitch is formed from one hole to the next adjacentone. The next stroke of the lever cl causes the pawl d to skip the pointwhere the screw-pin is inserted and to engage the stud (Z on the otherside of the same, so as to impart a half-turn again to the button andplace it in position again to receive diagonal stitches. WVhen thegear-wheel c has completed its full rotation, the pawl (1 owing to theabsence of the screw-pin (i will again impart a quarter-turn to thebutton, causing a connecting-stitch to be made from one corner hole tothe other until the pawl skips this space and turns the button for ahalf-turn for receiving diagonal stitches, &c.,

until all the corner holes are connected by ferent kinds of stitches bywhich the buttons are to be sewed on.

To a raised standard g of the bottom plate E is hinged a plate E towhich the shanks of the button-holding jaws e e are pivoted. Between thehinged plate E and the bottom plate E isinterposed on a fixed post g aspiral spring 9 which serves to lift the plate E and the button-holdingjaws e e as soon as a cam-lever E, that is pivoted by its forked pad toasleeve g at the upper end of the post g, is raised, while when the sameis placed into the lower or horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 1, thecam at the end of the lever E presses the plate E and the buttonholdingjaws e in downward position, so that the jaws e e are held firmly incontact with The post g passes through a hole of the hinged plate Ewhile a washer g is interposed between the same and the cam end of thelever E as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, so as to take up the friction.

The button holding jaws e e are so arranged that they can be readilyadjusted to hold difierent sizes of buttons without requiring thechanging of the button-holder whenever a button of different size has tobe sewed onto the garment or other object. For holding buttons ofdifferent sizes so that their centers coincide the button holding jaws ce are provided with grooves at their inner faces, said grooves holdingthe button at two opposite points, while the same is held at twoadditional points of its circumference by the grooved corners ofslide-pieces h, which are made in the form of sleeves and guided on theshanks of the jaws e 6, so as to slide forward or backward on the same,according as the jaws are opened more or less apart, as required for thedifferent sizes of button. The rear ends of the shanks of the jaws e areprovided with toothed segments h, that mesh with each other, whichsegments serve to produce the joined motion of the jaws when one of themis taken hold of for inserting or removing a button. The shanks of thejaws e e are provided near the segments of the same withinwardly-projecting cheeks 7L2 7L2, which are engaged by the lowerconically-tapering end t'of an adj usting-screw I, that passes throughthe plate E and serves to engage the cheeks h so that on turning thescrew I in one or the opposite direction, the buttonholding jaws e e aremoved a greater or a smaller distance from each other, so as to adjustthem exactly to the required size of button. Simultaneously with theopening or closing motion imparted to the button-holding jaws e e by theadjusting-screw I the slide-pieces h are moved inwardly or outwardly onthe shanks of the jaws e e by means of cross-links h which are pivotedto each other and at the ends to the shanks of the jaws e e and to theslide-pieces 71, as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 4:. The button-holdingjaws e e are further connected by a spiral spring h that is extendedtransversely from one shank to the other and applied to eyes of thesame, so that the jaws are pressed tightly on the button and hold thesame reliably in position for the passage of the needle. The jaws andslide-pieces hold the buttons always properly centered whatever be thesize of the buttons, which forms an important feature of myconstruction.

The operation of my improved button-sewing attachment is as follows:Abutton of the proper size is inserted into the button-holding jaws e eby spreading them apart until the button can be inserted and is engagedby the grooves at the inner faces of the jaws and the grooved corners ofthe slide-pieces h. The screw I is then adjusted to the position of thejaws, so that they are held in the required position for the size. ofthe button. The garment or other object to which the button is to beattached is then introduced between the bottom plate E and the jaws andthe latter lowered by the cam-lever E The sewingmachine is then startedin the usual manner. By the reciprocating action of the needle, incombination with the oscillating and recipro-' cating action of thebutton-holder, the button is sewed on by means of stitches which connecttwo cross-stitches which connect two diagonal holes of the button, asthe case may be. When one button is sewed on, the garment is removedfrom the button-holder by simply sliding it out of the same, the jawsgiving sufficiently by their spring connection to permit the readywithdrawal of the button. A newbutton is then inserted into the holderand the next sewing operation performed in the manner before described.In this manner buttons can be quickly and neatly attached to garments ofall kinds by a comparatively simple attachment to the ordinarysewing-machine without requiring a special machine for this purpose.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with a sewing-machine comprisinga needle-bar and presser-bar, of an oscillating and reciprocating plate,a buttonholder supported thereon, a pinion towhich the rear end of saidoscillating plate is connected, a gear-wheel meshing with saidpinion'and provided with ratchet-studs, an -oscillating lever carrying aspring-pawl for engaging the studs of the gear-wheel, an arm pivoted tothe presser-bar, a connecting-rod between said arm and oscillatinglever, and a slotted angular lever attached to the'pivot of the arm onthe presser-bar and engaged by a pin on'the needle-bar, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a button-sewing attachment, a button-holder composed ofindependently-pivoted laterally-swinging jaws having grooved innerfaces, and slide pieces guided longitudinally on the shanks of said jawsand provided with grooved corners, said corners forming an additionalrest for the button and adapting the button-holder for different sizesof buttons, substantially as set forth.

3. In a button-sewing attachment, 'a but ton-holderformed of two pivotedand laterally-swinging button -holding jaws having grooved inner faces,slide-pieces having grooved corners guided on the shanks ofthe ITO jaws,and pivoted cross-links connecting said slide-pieces with the jaws,substantially as set forth.

4:. In a button-sewing attachment, a button-holder formed of two pivotedand laterally-swinging jaws provided with grooves at the inner faces ofthe button-holding jaws, s1idepieces having grooved corners guided onthe shanks of the jaws, pivoted cross-links connecting said slide-pieceswith the shanks of the jaws, and an adj Listing-screw having a taperinglower end for engaging checks on the shanks of the jaws, substantiallyas set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

